Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.

DAILY READING; Galatians 6; Ezekiel 2-3; Psalm 149

Many historians believe that Abraham Lincoln is America’s greatest President by every measure applied. One of the most notable things about Abraham Lincoln was that he never drank alcohol or smoked throughout his lifetime. This is quite remarkable because he grew up during the early 1800s, when American experienced the greatest explosion of alcohol consumption in its history. It was a period that has been described as one of sad debauchery, because drunkenness became the order of the day among the American populace.

At that time, there was general acceptance of the idea, that alcoholic liquor was a necessity and it was called ‘aqua vitoz’, the water of life. People drank so much that all classes and professions were affected by drunkenness. The judge was overcome on the bench , workmen drank as they worked, and servants could hardly keep sober for twenty-four hours. When a house had to be built, the cost of the rum needed would be greater than that of the lumber or the labor employed..

In the cities it was widely understood that common workers would fail to come to work on Mondays, because they had to stay home to wrestle with the aftershocks of a weekend binge. By 1830, the tolling of a town bell at 11 a.m. and again at 4 p.m. marked ‘grog time.’”

However, although Lincoln was born and grew to manhood in this environment, he was a lifelong total abstainer. As a very young man he wrote an essay on the evils of drink which was so impressive that a copy of it was printed in an Ohio newspaper. His self-discipline was one of the outstanding characteristics that helped him to eventually become America’s 16th president.

Romans 12:2 says “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.

Today, it sometimes feel as we live in a drunken world where the moral standards are swiftly being lowered. Daily there’s a constant pressure from the society to squeeze us into its mold and conform us to its standard. However, as believers, God wants us to stand out and live a life of excellence and live by a higher standard.

When we study the heroes of faith, one common ingredient we find in all of them is that they were uncommon in their generations. Daniel, David, Joshua, etc all lived uncommon lives and they were rewarded with uncommon blessings. The truth is that God’s anointing and favor are not common and are reserved for those who refuse to compromise, but rather are willing to pay the price to live different.

However, the decision to be separate from the world and live in obedience to God’s Word requires more than just mental assent. It takes courage to be uncommon. This is why we need to constantly renew our minds through the Word. Through the Word, we are strengthened with might in our inner man to say ‘No’ to temptations. We must understand that sin is a force, and it takes the power of God’s Word to break its hold. But as we constantly fill our heart with the Word, we will have the power to always resist and overcome the temptations that come our way.

Psalm 119:11 says ‘Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.’

Indeed the more we hide God’s Word in our heart, the more our minds will be renewed, and rather than conform, we will be transformed to live exceptional and uncommon lives, different from the world around us.

PRAYER:

Lord, please help me not to conform to the world, but rather through Your Word, let my life be transformed so that I can live an excellent and exceptional life and stand out in my generation in Jesus Name. .

QUOTE

When you obey God’s instruction you are delivered from destruction. WORDBITE 222